Computer networks generally include various interconnected computing devices that can exchange data. Computing devices in a computer network can be in direct communication with one or more other computing devices. Each direct communication connection between computing devices in a computer network may generally be referred to as a network link, or link. This link may be wired or wireless, though, generally, wired connections (e.g., optical cables, copper cables, etc.) are used in data centers and other settings where high bandwidth capabilities are desired. While a computer network is generally made up of a number of links, computing devices in a computer network do not typically include links to every other computing device in a computer network. Rather, data to be exchanged between computing devices can be subdivided into packets and propagated via the computer network to eventually reach an intended recipient, regardless of whether there is a direct link between the sender and recipient.
More specifically, packets of data are typically transmitted from an origin computing device to an identified destination computing device. If a packet of data is received by a computing device that is not the identified destination computing device, the receiving computing device becomes an intermediary in the communication path between the origin computing device and the destination computing device by forwarding the packet to another computing device in the computer network via one of its direct connections. Accordingly, each packet of data is transmitted through a series of intermediate links in the computer network until the packet reaches its destination computing device. The series of links for delivery of a packet of data between an origin computing device and a destination computing device is generally referred to as a network path, or path.